Methods for treating cancers include the use of chemotherapeutics, radiation therapy, and surgery. The identification of a number of tumor antigens has led to attempts at developing cell-based therapies. Some methods have relied on first identifying a tumor antigen, i.e., a polypeptide that is expressed preferentially in tumor cells, relative to non-tumor cells. For example, several human tumor antigens have been isolated from melanoma patients, and identified and characterized.
CMV is a β-herpesvirus. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is endemic in the human population and it has been reported that the virus does not usually cause clinical disease except in immunocompromised hosts. Some human herpesviruses have been implicated in a number of human malignancies including lymphoma, nasopharyngeal cancer, cervical cancer, and Kaposi's sarcoma. Recently, HCMV antigen expression and detection of intact virus has been reported to occur in some tumors.
Despite aggressive multi-modality therapy including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the prognosis for patients with cancer remains relatively poor. Moreover, the non-specific nature of conventional therapy for cancer often results in incapacitating damage to surrounding normal and systemic tissues. Thus, there is a need for the development of effective diagnostic as well as therapeutic and prophylactic strategies that target cancer cells.